INS Sindhuratna: Two missing on Navy vessel found dead

Media reports claim that the two missing Naval officers in the INS Sindhuratna mishap have been found dead.

The two officers identified as Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal from Delhi and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar from Jamshedpur, died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic smoke aboard the submarine, sources said.

The Navy earlier today continued its search for the two officers, who were missing after submarine INS Sindhuratna had a mishap off the Mumbai coast, leaving seven sailors seriously ill.

The submarine was brought back to the Mumbai dock today morning. (GUNS AND THORNS)

Meanwhile, the condition of the injured personnel, who had inhaled smoke and were airlifted to the naval hospital INS Ashwini, is reported to be stable.

INS Sindhuratna was at sea off Mumbai for routine training and workup (inspection) in the early hours of yesterday when smoke was reported in the sailors' accommodation, in compartment number three, by the submarine.

"Two officials are unaccounted for. They might have been left in the cabin or at some other place as various cabins and compartments are isolated as part of the emergency measures," Navy officials had said.

Hours after the mishap and in the wake of a spate of accidents involving the Naval warships in the recent past, Navy Chief Admiral D K Joshi had yesterday resigned taking moral responsibility.